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The Sword and the Crown
The Tales of Corona Borealis
Chapter 6: King Theseus of Athens
Theseus, spending his years in the peaceful
tranquillity of Athens, became bored with the routine. "I need adventure,"
he said one day to his friend, Peirithous.
"Let us gather a small army and tour the far reaches of the sea,"
offered Peirithous. "That is an acceptable mission for a king."
"What reason will I give?"
"Why, conquering new lands in the name of Athens," answered Peirithous.
"You will spread the fame and culture of Athens throughout the world!"
Without further hesitation, Theseus commanded a ship to be readied
for their journey. He gathered a hundred warriors and set sail for
parts unknown.
Of all the places they sailed, the most remarkable was the land
of female warriors called the Amazons who lived in Themiskyra, on
the Black Sea. In all the other lands, the sight of one hundred
troops coming into harbor, dressed in full battle gear, would bring
fear to the citizens and their ship would be met with gifts from
the locals begging for peace. Not so with the Amazon women, for
when they landed they were greeted with a volley of well aimed arrows.
Commanding all the Amazons was a beautiful woman who wore a belt
of gold and silver and lizard skins. Her name was Antiope.
Instead of the Athenians being given gifts, they had to give them.
Ruffling through the gifts given to him by others on his journey,
Theseus selected a silken gown and a necklace of pearls and emeralds
and, in his pocket, he placed a sapphire ring. He stood at the door
of Antiope's hut and announced himself. Antiope was lying upon cushions
and Theseus kneeled in front of her, placing the gifts at her feet..
She was pleased and allowed Theseus and his army to stay.
Days grew into months until Antiope bore Theseus a son and named
him Hippolytus. As the months became years, Theseus and the men
of Athens grew bored with the peace and they once again longed for
change. With promises to return within two years, the men set out
toward home.
Sidetracked by each island which promised adventure, it took years
for their return to Athens, but word spread quickly once they arrived.
The first to visit was the young king of Crete, King Deucalion,
who had ruled since the death of his father, King Minos.
"King Theseus," he began. "I understand that you are still unmarried
and, as you are getting older, you will require heirs. I wish to
offer my young sister Phaedra as your wife. She is the youngest
of the family and would form a peaceful union between Athens and
Crete." Phaedra was led to Theseus and he could see her resemblance
to Ariadne, who had helped him defeat the Minotaur so long ago.
Theseus agreed to the marriage, and the wedding plans were made.
Meanwhile Antiope, the Amazon queen, was tired of waiting. It had
been far longer than the two years Theseus had promised, so she
took her son Hippolytus and the Amazon warriors aboard a ship and
set sail for the city of Athens. As their ship sailed into the harbor,
they could see Athens was alive with celebration. No one questioned
their arrival, for the harbor was crowded with ships of every description
bearing flags she had never seen. Antiope sent guards to shore to
discover what the occasion was and they returned with unpleasant
news.
"What do you mean, Theseus is getting married?" Antiope shouted.
"He is married, to me!" She stalked the deck and her anger built.
"He will pay," she said. "They will all pay."
The morning of the wedding was marked by rain, and as the guests
arrived for the ceremony, instead they were met by a storm of arrows,
for the Amazons had laid siege to Athens. Theseus threw armor over
his wedding robes and called upon his guards and guests to fight.
Women against men, the battle raged while wedding finery and the
temple steps were covered with blood. Although the fighting was
brutal, the casualties were even after hours of battle. It was then
that Theseus spied Antiope.
She was so beautiful and they were so alike that she truly was the
best wife for him. But how could he save face if he did not win
full victory before the eyes of his subjects? They did not know
about her. He moved to within arms length and called her name. She
recognized his voice and when she turned to look, he plunged his
sword into her chest. Antiope was dead and the battle was over.
Theseus took his young son, Hippolytus, and the Amazons left in
defeat. A dutiful wedding occurred the next day and, joylessly,
the other guests left shortly after.
Queen Phaedra bore two sons to King Theseus. Their names were Acamas
and Demophon. She was a dutiful wife, but felt nothing for her husband.
It was Hippolytus she loved. "Hippolytus," she called to him from
her chambers as she saw him pass, "come here, please." She had left
the door open waiting for him.
He stepped into her room, but stopped in embarrassment when he saw
her lying on her bed. "Shut the door and come here," she said firmly.
He shut the door but came only one step closer. "No, silly, here,"
she said patting the bed next to where she lay, "come here now."
He reluctantly did as he was told.
" Make love to me, Hippolytus," she said as she grabbed his hand
and pulled him to her.
"This is disgusting," he said. "You're my stepmother." He pulled
away from her and ran from her room.
After all of Phaedra's fantasies for him, now she saw that he did
not love her and that it had only been her imagination. It was humiliating.
But what was worse, what if he told his father?
Phaedra frantically found an axe and hacked at her bedroom door.
She tore her gown and ripped her bedding. Throwing a robe around
herself, she ran to Theseus and lied, telling him that Hippolytus
had raped her.
"Father Poseidon," Theseus said, "punish my evil son, Hippolytus,
for what he has done to my wife. He was born to an evil mother and
I should have expected it. There is nothing that can be done for
one spoiled from their roots, like him. Destroying him, like a mad
animal, is the only merciful thing to do."
Hippolytus rode in his chariot along the seashore on that fated
day. He did not notice as Poseidon sent a giant white bull out of
the waves and onto shore. He didn't notice, but his horses did;
for in their fright the four horses pulled wildly in all directions,
slamming against the rocks, splintering the chariot into a thousand
pieces and dragging Hippolytus, caught in the reins, to a bloody,
painful death.
Phaedra quivered when she saw Hippolytus' broken, lifeless body.
In tears, she went to her chambers and there she hung herself.
"I don't know what to do with myself," Theseus confessed to his
advisor friend.
"You need a new adventure," responded Peirithous, "and a new wife.
Why don't we both marry daughters of Zeus. They can't be as much
trouble as your other wives and it can never hurt to have the Lord
of Olympus as a father-in-law." Theseus agreed that it seemed a
sound idea, but which daughters of Zeus should they claim? "I've
heard that the most beautiful in all of Greece is the twelve year
old Helen in Sparta. She would make a fitting queen for you. As
for me, I have always desired Persephone, even though I must walk
through Hell to retrieve her. Let's go together to bring these women
to Athens and then we'll celebrate with a joint wedding." The friends
made a pact and went to Sparta.
Bringing Helen to Athens proved to be easy, for Helen was eager
for adventure. Theseus merely mentioned that he was king of Athens
and gave her gifts of jewelry and she consented to be his bride.
Depositing her at the palace of Athens in the care of servants who
were told to give her anything she wished, Helen was content. The
men continued on their bridal mission, this time to Hades to collect
Persephone for Peirithous.
As they crossed the River Styx, the landscape changed. No longer
was there sunshine, or the songs of birds, or flowers blooming along
the shore. The air hung heavy and hot, though the only light was
the red reflection of everlasting flames and, replacing the songs
of birds, were the screams of damned souls. It chilled the travelers
to the bone.
As they passed through the Gates of Hell they could hear Cerberus,
the three-headed hound of Hell, growling to warn of their approach.
"Let me welcome my noble visitors," Hades said, surprising them
as he appeared out of nowhere. "My world is really far more hospitable
than initially meets the eye. Before we go to my home, please rest
a while upon this throne of Lethe. It is a suitable resting place
for a king and his most noble advisor. You must be quite tired.
After a short rest, I will accompany you and act as your guide to
explain all that you see down here." They appreciated the kind offer
of the god and, as they were very hot and tired, they sat upon the
bench.
No sooner were they both seated, than serpents streamed from the
corners of the bench and tightened their grip around Theseus and
Peirithous, holding them tight against the stone. "So you try to
steal my wife?" Hades said angrily. "Relax. You'll have a long time
to think about your plans."
Indeed, they had a long time to think, for Hades had doomed them
there for eternity and through the passing years they could not
move at all. Then, one day, Heracles came, accompanied by Hermes,
who told their story. The experience had humbled them for no longer
were they proud and fiercely independent. Instead they begged for
help and held out their hands to the sons of Zeus. Heracles grabbed
their hands and pulled, tearing Theseus free, but the part of the
throne where Peirithous was held moved as the earth trembled and
jerked him away from Heracles. Hades had made his decision that
Peirithous would never be freed and even Heracles could do nothing
to change it.
Theseus left through the gates and crossed the River Styx to return
to Athens, but many years had passed since he left and much had
changed. First, he was no longer the king. Castor and Pollux had
come to Athens with troops to retrieve their sister Helen. When
they found the king was gone, they easily placed Menestheus upon
the throne and, in retaliation, they took Theseus' mother Aethra
captive. They planned to kidnap his sons Demophon and Acamas as
well, but they escaped. Now Theseus returned to a home that no longer
wanted him or even remembered him. He went to stay with his friend
Lycomedes, but Lycomedes was now old and senile and, thinking he
was a ghost, threw Theseus down a well to his death. It had not
taken long for Theseus to return to Hades and, as a dead man, cross
the River Styx a final time.
Meanwhile, in Lemnos, Ariadne watched all that went on in the world.
She had watched as Theseus, giving away the rose crown as though
it meant nothing, continued through life empty hearted, living only
by his sword. She watched him determine his partnerships first by
competition, then by power, then by whim to regain failing youth.
He ended farther from the truth than where he started. How shallow
he was. She had done better without him.
Now her husband, Dionysus, seemed almost as bad. He had just returned
from a campaign in the east, and among the captives he brought was
the daughter of a king and he had taken her as a lover. "No man,
mortal or god, is worthy of real love. They are all faithless and
treacherous," Ariadne cried. "As women, we should all harden our
hearts to them and offer them no kindness or help. They are deceitful
and in return should be met with lies. Their oaths are as empty
as their hearts. When I love it is forever. I wish it were not so."
Tears filled her eyes and she sat silently and sadly.
But her husband, Dionysus, had been standing behind her and heard
every word. He felt foolish for his self-indulgence. It was her
love that had always sustained him and he knew he would be lost
if she were gone. He put his arms around her and kissed her hair.
"Forgive me," he said. "I know the value of real love, and I promise
not to forget." He lifted the crown from her head and, as he held
it, the nine roses on the crown lit on fire. He placed the crown
in the sky, high enough for all to see so they might remember the
meaning of true love and, as he did, the nine flaming roses became
nine stars.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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